Firebrand: A long way home
by Miss Ming
Summary: A promise can take you so far


Log entry for Artificial Intelligence Amelia. January 12 2500

Today I am reassigned to the UNSC Firebrand, under Captain Marks. I looked him up, good record, wife, daughter and heading for a promotion. This will be my last mission before I am decommissioned, but I am satisfied. Our mission is to take a group of colonists to a prospective planet on the edge of human known space. I like colonization missions, especially when I get to interact with children. (For the short while that they are not in cryosleep)

Log entry January 13 2500

Although the Firebrand is an old ship there are no malfunctions within the ship's operation and the colonists are boarding. We take off in twelve hours, three minutes and four seconds. With a minute leeway for human error. Captain Marks seems quite enthusiastic about this mission. I have not had the opportunity to enquire as to whether this is normal behaviour.

Log entry January 14 2500

We have left the solar system and jumped into slipspace. Captain Marks has instructed me to drop out of slipspace periodically to make sure that I quote, "we dun wan them damn engines ter o'er heat again, ah don't care what them engineers said about replacin' parts. It's be'er safe then sorry." It is worth officially mentioning now that I had to re set my vocal recognition subsystems when I met him. I will not be making anymore entries until somthing out of regular operation comes up.

Log entry Febuary 3 2500

Well, I wasn't supposed to do that. Turns out that the need to drop out of slipspace was not just to satisfy Captain Mark's paranoia. I had been slowly extending the time we had been spending in slipspace with each jump, but it seems that I have found the limit of the Firebrand's endurance found in the form of the slipspace drive having to be shut down completely due to threat of sudden melt down and on top of that, we came out of slipspace on the edge of an asteroid field. I do not think I have ever screwed up my calculations this badly before. Captain Marks has also informed me to await a dressing down.

Log entry February 10 2500

On our way again. We have lost our long range communications ability due to an asteroid and Captain Marks said that we would not be fixing it on the edge of an asteroid field. So at our next stop, more repairs to be done.

Note- under no circumstances should I incur Captain Mark's wrath again. His speech was nigh untranslatable. No major injuries due to my mistake.

Log entry February 17 2500

We have encountered alien life forms and engaged in first contact protocol. There are more than one species of alien and it seems that the methane breathing ones are subservient to the taller ones with split mouths and digitigrade legs (see image capture for more information)

Log entry February 20 2500

Well, shit. I believe is the phrase. We have officially screwed up first contact with these new races. They got a transmission halfway through some pleasantries/trying to understand the other race session and then to borrow a human phrase, it all went to hell. We did not even hang around to fight, Captain Marks told me to pick a direction and go. We got rid of the aliens but not before they caused massive amounts of damage to the Firebrand, including the slipspace navigation system, gravity generation several areas, half my sensors were dead and radiation was leaking from both the engines and somewhere else.

84 casualties 24 injured

Log entry February 25 2500

The radiation leaks cannot be fixed, we do not have the parts. Or that's what the engineering sector reports. So the engine is permanently sealed until we can find somewhere, anywhere to get repairs. The other radiation leak has not been found.

Log entry February 26 2500

Those worst affected by the radiation are dead now and according to hand held Giger counters the entire ship has been irradiated. Captain Marks has requested that every crewman make something called a message in a bottle.

102 casualties

Log entry February 29 2500

The morgue is full now, both with samples of alien lifeforms and our own dead. All non-essential crew have been asked to stay in their quarters. I cannot help but turn a thought to the colonists in cryosleep and try not to run the odds of whether they will ever get the chance to wake.

126 casualties

Log entry March 4 2500

All personnel who worked in engineering are dead now. I have cut life support and the flow of oxygen to each of their quarters to preserve their bodies in hopes that we make it to... Somewhere.

142 casualties

Log entry April 3 2500

Captain Marks is showing signs of radiation poisoning. I should not be surprised. Ninety eight point seven percent of the crew is showing signs of poisoning and I am quite sure that the others are not far behind.

263 casualties

Log entry May 12 2500

Captain Marks has asked me to make sure to "git this damn ship home no matter what." I could not bring myself to voice the odds

857 casualties

Log entry May 20 2500

Captain Marks has requested that I not tell the crew of the odds of anyone getting home alive.

912 casualties

Log entry June 1

This is smart A.I. Amelia attached to UNSC Firebrand. Due to an altercation with unidentified alien races and subsequent radiation leak all crew of the Firebrand have been lost. Due to damage to sensors in cryogenic bay no information is able to be collected as to whether the colonists are still alive. I shall follow Captain Marks' request to return this ship.

1000 casualties

Log entry April 5 2504

Journal, log, thing, It's been a year. I'm reporting that we were passing through an oort cloud on the edge of a solar system (no technology detected) and we found these strange life forms in space. Captain Marks was so surprised it almost restarted his heart!

Log entry november 30 2509

We caught sight of them bad aliens today. So Captain Marks told me to jump to slipspace. Although he didn't give me any coordinates, but that's okay, I can never tell where I'm going in slipspace anyway. Something's missing, I forgot what it was.

Log entry July 24 2511

There's a big ring out here. I remember that humans like rings, so I keep the Firebrand here for a while and go tell every crewmember about the enormous ring floating in space. They can't hear me, but that's okay.

Log entry July 28 2511

We leave the giant ring and its strange inverted world. I'm sure someone at home would like to know about that. I'd like to come back here.

Log entry October 3 2525

Captain Marks? What's your wife like? Will she be happy when you get home? That's what I've observed with other human's spouses when they meet after long periods of separation. And your daughter, will she be happy too?

Log entry August 28 2528

Found a battlefield today. An altercation between the aliens we had met that had caused the radiation leaks and what looked like UNSC ships. From the wreckage it looked like the UNSC had lost, especially because there was still a functioning ship of the alien's on the edge of the battlefield. I didn't even need the order to go to slipspace.

Log entry August 29 2528

I've remembered! The Firebrand's slipspace navigation systems are shot. So, it seems are some of my systems but that's okay. I just have to get this ship and her crew home.

Log entry August 30 2528

We are so very, very lost.

Just saying.

Log entry December 25 2532

There's a tradition about this day, it's called Christmas humans get all close to each other and share stories and gifts. I'm sorry I wasn't able to get the Firebrand home for this 'Christmas' for you to be with family

Log entry March 1 2537

Gravity failed today, I knew it had been going for a while but to finally watch Captain Marks float ippards in the seat he had strapped himself down in was sad. Sad? That's a bit strange. But yes definitely sad and it made me want to run the odds of weather the Firebrand would still hold any semblance of working by the time I found anyone. I ran them anyway and I didn't like the answer.

Log entry January 12 2545

Captain Marks, Captain Marks! It's been fourth five years since we've started traveling together! That means five till fifty, I hope your wife isn't worried about you.

Log entry January 14 2550

I think... I think I've forgotten a lot. I can't remember why it's important to go home, but Captain Marks asked so we're going. The only things I keep powered up anymore are my systems, the engine and something else. I tried turning the other thing off but I just get error messages and junk code.

Log entry November 8 2552

We came across a battlefield I think we've come across one before but I don't quite remember.

Note-did a self-system scan to see about the memory problem as it turns out turning off the life support let tiny ice crystals grow in my hardware. The physical stuff that I can't fix. I'm screwed.

Log entry March 26 2553

It's not fair. I can't even remember what the coordinates from the last slipspace jump were.

It's not fair.

It's not fair.

Where are we going?

Log entry January 12 2554

"This is UNSC Carrier Magellen to unknown frigate please identify yourself" the words rang in my vocal recognition system for a good 3.1415 seconds. Before I remembered that I had to answer.

"This is A.I. Amelia of UNSC Frigate Firebrand. Captain Marks asked me to take him home. Are you home?"

There was a pause longer than it took for my vocal recognition systems to process his voice.

"Yes, Firebrand. Welcome home."


End file.
